Is Your RFP a Recipe For Problems?

Think you're ready to take bids on that big multi-year implementation? Not so fast. Baseline

There are many ways to gauge the success of a project. But how do you measure the success of the request for proposal (RFP) that outlines the project? .
If you wait to match a projects actual return on investment against that expected by the RFP, youre too late. In fact, by the time project leaders even begin an initiative, the outcome may already be ordained. A poorly constructed RFP puts a new spin on an old cliché: "Garbage out, garbage in."

Project managers can help themselves by following some fundamental steps when crafting RFPs, says Bud Porter-Roth, an information-technology consultant and author of "Request for Proposal: A Guide to Effective RFP Development." Writing skills, for example, never go out of style. Most important, Porter-Roth says, "is to ensure that all requirements are fully researched and valid." Otherwise, "The buyer always loses."

Assistant Editorjoshua_weinberger@ziffdavisenterprise.comAfter being on staff at The New Yorker for five years, Josh later traveled the world, hitting all seven continents in a single year. At Yale University, he majored in American Studies, English, and Theatre Studies.